20 January 2001 In January 2001 I was sharing a large but still crowded house in Dublin with six people, including a couple from Portugal. Every morning the Portuguese couple would shower together in the downstairs bathroom, right beside the kitchen where I was trying to have my breakfast alone in peace. Touch me in … Continue reading Rui Da Silva ft. Cassandra – ‘Touch Me’
Eminem – ‘Stan’
9 December 2000 Only now has it struck me that 'Stan', with its chorus by the then-unknown Dido, may have been influenced by 'You Got Me', that fabulous single the year before by The Roots which features a similar sweet chorus by a female singer, Erykah Badu. Certainly at the time I remember the cognitive … Continue reading Eminem – ‘Stan’
LeAnn Rimes – ‘Can’t Fight The Moonlight’
25 November 2000 Good puzzle would be cross November 2000 without hearing 'Can't Fight The Moonlight'. However, I'm surprised that it actually got all the way to number one here and in the UK. Yes, it was on our radios and TVs more often than the news headlines. Still, I can't picture a quorum of … Continue reading LeAnn Rimes – ‘Can’t Fight The Moonlight’
Westlife – ‘My Love’
4 November 2000 Fair's fair: this isn't too bad. 'My Love', written and produced by whatever non-Max-Martins were in Cheiron in 2000, is better than the other Westlife singles we've heard at number one so far. Yes, that's a low base. I put most of my new pro-Westlife stance down to the melody here actually … Continue reading Westlife – ‘My Love’
U2 – ‘Beautiful Day’
14 October 2000 It wasn't just me. I remember the widespread first impression of 'Beautiful Day', after its world premiere radio play one weekday morning, as one of being underwhelmed. The subdued verses; the bland, unremarkable chorus; Edge dusting off his distinctive early '80s guitar: it all seemed to symbolise U2 not willing to take … Continue reading U2 – ‘Beautiful Day’
Mariah Carey ft. Westlife – ‘Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)’
23 September 2000 Like a summit between rival superpowers of souped-up, watered-down schmaltz, Mariah Carey and Westlife meet on Capri in the cheaply-made video for their duet 'Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)'. But that isn't the weirdest thing about this video. Mariah's vocal on the single is actually just re-used from … Continue reading Mariah Carey ft. Westlife – ‘Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)’
Modjo – ‘Lady (Hear Me Tonight)’
16 September 2000 If you've ever wondered about the spelling of this band's name, allow me to flex my French in your direction. The language of Molière and Marcel Marceau doesn't have a hard 'j' sound, hence the difference between Jack and Jacques, so to a French speaker unfamiliar with the works of Austin Powers … Continue reading Modjo – ‘Lady (Hear Me Tonight)’
Spiller – ‘Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love)’
2 September 2000 The singer with an unremarkable late-'90s Britpop band; the guitarist with an un-glamorous '70s glam rock group; a sampled loop from an obscure '70s US disco-soul single; an unknown Italo-house DJ: these are the random and unpromising elements that combine to make 'Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)'. So, why does it feel … Continue reading Spiller – ‘Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love)’
Robbie Williams – ‘Rock DJ’
5 August 2000 I didn't pay much attention to 'Rock DJ' at the time, so I've only noticed now how similar it is to our previous Robbie Williams solo number one, 'Millennium'. Both use someone else's music, but recreated cheaply rather than a direct sample: here, it's a loop from 'It's Ecstasy When You Lay … Continue reading Robbie Williams – ‘Rock DJ’
Eminem – ‘The Real Slim Shady’
22 July 2000 One thing that jumps out at me from 'The Real Slim Shady' is how defensive and chippy it is. How many other Slim Shadies were out there, exactly? If he's dissing other white rappers, does he mean Mark McCabe and our blessed 'Maniac 2000'? Confusingly, he then quotes approvingly the Discovery Channel … Continue reading Eminem – ‘The Real Slim Shady’
